Touching Destiny
by Soloros
Summary: In another time and place that the cast of Final Fantasy VII exists, they are still drawn together in ways few can say they are. This time that bond is called "College" but even beyond that they have reason to stick together.
1. Chapter I

There will be more mature themes and ideas as this progresses, but in this first part, there shouldn't be anything too offensive. Keep in mind, that it is rated "T" for a reason as of right now, so... you have been warned.

I do not own Final Fantasy VII. Final Fantasy VII is property of SquareEnix.

* * *

They say that some people are just destined to be drawn together, If that's true then I don't know who I'm drawn to, but I do know what _does_ draw me in:

Music.

I can't start my day without it. And I don't mean I need a heavy metal guitar to wake me up or some peppy pop to get me going, I mean I need music to start my body or else my day will wither and die like a flower in the slums. Sound dramatic? Good, because it is and I don't care so much. So this morning, seemingly like any other, I feel my eyes bolt open, right at eight o'clock. That's two weird things about me: I don't slowly wake up, it's just suddenly I'm awake, suddenly I'm asleep, suddenly I'm awake again. If there's dreaming involved during that sleep; great, and if not, oh well. Doesn't matter to me. That and I've never needed an alarm to wake me, my body just kinda… wakes itself up.

I used to think I was some kind of Super SOLDIER as a kid.

So here it is, eight in the morning and I immediately rifle my hand around in the sheets, searching for my lost music player. Sure enough, it's located awkwardly below my thigh and has left a circular indent there from being slept on all night.

Way to go, Cloud. Your first college experience of finding strange things in your bed and it isn't even a woman.

A deep and heavy sigh escapes my lips, a sigh about as heavy as the drums now roaring through my large navy blue headphones. Oh yeah, it was one of _those_ days. The kind of day where you just wake up and can tell… _This day is gonna suck, isn't it?_

I swing my legs over the side of the bed and reach for a pair of gray sweatpants that are considerably too long in the legs and pool about my feet at the floor. Just the way I like 'em. These pants are followed shortly by a tight orange shirt, still rumpled on the floor from the night before where I left it. Then suddenly my brain ignites and I remember one very important thing: _You haven't showered yet, dumbass._

I sit a moment, contemplating if I even really want to shower, and scratching my golden hair as I do.

Ten warm-water minuets later and I find myself exiting my dorm with the fresh scent of "Bahamut SIN" soap ("the most sinful soap a man can buy") following me, headphones still clutching my head and soft Jazz now gracing my ears. As I trudge down the red carpet halls towards the elevator, my half open eyes swear they see a girl peek out of a room, then quickly go back in as I hear her hiss to a lower, and what I must assume to be male, voice. As I walk past I only catch a glimpse of conversation from the cracked open door, "What? It's just Cloud, he won't care. What the hell's he gonna say to anyone?"

Yeah, that's me. Just Cloud. Just Cloud Strife from Neibelheim. And truth be told, he's right. I don't care about who Wedge has slept with this time. But apparently it's a big deal, even in college. High school just never ends, huh?

Waiting in the elevator to reach the second floor where the dining area is, I contemplate what to eat. Pancakes today? Cereal even? Nope. Just waffles. That's all I ever eat for breakfast, I'm kind of a creature of habit. All I want are my waffles. And sure enough, when the elevator stops, there I am, facing the large glass doors to the eatery. I quicken my pace from the elevator, reach for the handle, give the door a good hard tug and---

THWACK!

My head raps sharply against the glass pane and I let out a loud curse that fills the large empty lobby. The door is locked and doesn't budge. But I don't move either, I just stand there with my head pressed firmly against the glass, trying to peer into the kitchen and trying even harder to figure out why the HELL I can't have my damn waffles! A scowl even crosses my face, and I press my hands up on the glass too, as if that will somehow make the waffles come to me. "I just want a damn waffle…" I repeat to the empty room, not even caring or considering what this would look like if someone came in right now.

As if trying to calm me, the track on my player switches to some smoother jazz. And what's even more irritating about all this is---

"Um, what are you doing?" a voice from behind me asks. It sounds soft but full of resolve. Questioning, and rife with that tone that says, "You look really stupid right now."

I crane my neck so I can see whoever it is upside down from the space in my underarm, and when I do I find myself staring into the chest occupying the low-cut shirt of a girl with long auburn hair. It takes me a full five seconds to comprehend that I'm still staring and haven't answered yet. Spinning on my heel so fast that my spiked hair pushes into my face, I turn to face the girl behind me, rapping the back of my head on the glass again as I do. Another curse escapes my lips and I can feel her still staring as I massage my scalp. But now the staring doesn't feel curious, just amused in that insulting sort of way. "The Gold Chocobo's closed this morning and I uh…wanted…a waffle."

As I finish this awkwardly I realize how stupid all that nonsense I just spewed on the floor sounded, and finally having a good look at the girl makes me feel even dumber. She's...erm… well _pretty_ is the word I'm going to use without being derogatory. Even the cross expression she has seems sultry in a weird, not-on-purpose way. Tall, long legs, flowing hair, and deep brown eyes to boot. Man, how long has she been living here and I've not noticed? I gotta get out more. It also doesn't help that she's wearing a fitted tank top and black sweat pants that really show off her…womanly charms.

Suddenly though, I realize she's not making that face at me, but the Golden Chocobo instead. "Well damn… I need to eat something before my first class. Why are they closed?" she asked, walking up to shake the handle slightly. Again, the door does not budge but as she passes I catch a whiff of some perfume that smells lightly of fruit.

All I can do is shrug and babble a poor response as she turns to face me. "What's your name? I don't think I've seen your around before. You live here in these dorms, right?"

"My name's Cloud," I begin, finally regaining some composure, "yeah, I live here. I don't think I've seen you either, though."

She flashes a winning smile that I have no doubt has broken many-a heart before and says, "Tifa. I'm on the fourth floor. You? Oh, and what's with the headphones?"

"They're for music. I ah… like music. And I'm on the Seventh."

"Oh, a lucky guy huh? You supersitious?" She asks with a laugh like rain, bending slightly at the waist and looking me hard in the eye.

"Not really," I say as coolly as I can with a shrug, "It's just a number, right?"

Her smile fades a little, but still lingers, "I guess so. You sure you'll be okay without that waffle?"

Oh, now she's teasing me.

"Yeah, whatever _(no, not whatever)_. I got food back in my dorm (_that's a lie_), so I should be fine (_also a lie_). I don't need one that bad (_yes, I do_)."

She cocked an eyebrow that still said to me, "_you're one weird m-effer" _ and spoke, "Well okay. Take care, Cloud. See you around."

"Y-yeah. See ya," I responded with a wave.

Awesome. Not only do I _not_ get my waffles, but to make things worse the first attractive girl I meet here thinks I'm awkward. _My name's Cloud Strife, 1__st__ Class Dumbass._

Life's great here at Midgar University, huh?


	2. Chapter II

After the embarrassing encounter with Tifa I stood in the lobby for a moment more, leaning against the glass door wondering what to do now. Class starts in two hours, and I _need_ something to eat. Me hungry is never a good thing, and I know for a fact that the most I have in my dorm is… a package of crackers that I suspect is mostly empty anyways. Looks like it's time to go on a little adventure to eat somewhere different… or go hungry trying. With my head still throbbing in two different places, I returned to the elevator and jabbed the button for the ground floor, relishing the still smooth jazz as waited.

_Bing._ Ground floor, time to get off. As I crossed the lobby I gave a quick wave to Jessie sitting behind the student services desk. "Late night or early morning shift?" I asked as I approached her to lean on the counter.

As if to respond she gives a huge yawn then takes a large swig of what I can only assume is coffee before replying, "Late night. I've been here since midnight."

I grimaced at the thought of the shift then went on, "Shit, That sucks. Can I get you anything while I'm out?"

Her head snapped up at an alarming rate and she addressed me with a tone that sounded genuinely worried, "What is this?! Cloud Strife, 1st Class Waffle Lover _not_ having waffles for breakfast?! Oh gods, are you okay?"

I rolled my eyes and took a playful swat at her shoulder, "The friggin' Gold Chocobo's closed. Any idea why?"

"Oh now that you mention it I do remember getting a mail about that. They're installing new equipment or something and can't have things running at the same time. Didn't you get it too?"

"Right, like I check my mail that consistently," I said dryly.

"Well maybe you wouldn't be in this situation if you did."

"Whatever. Look, do you want anything?"

"Coffee. Lost of sugar, lots of cream. Moogle Blend."

"You're disgusting," I commented as I moved for the doors to the outside.

"Just 'cause some of us need caffeine in the morning to function doesn't mean we're disgusting! In fact, you're-"

I was outside and couldn't hear her anymore. I had resumed the now-rocking guitar solo on my music and decided to make my way just to the corner store for a pastry or something. Jessie and I had become friends quickly, since the first day introductory, welcome-to-Midgar University-bullshit. We were the only two people who had placed ourselves into the "I Like Videogames" category who weren't creepy as all get out.

Three Weeks prior…

"_You don't look the gaming type, girl like you."_

"_And you just leveled down in Charisma. Quit hitting on me, I'm not interested."_

"_Yeesh, Just being friendly, sorry. I just thought you were the only person in this group who _doesn't _look like she has a level 85 Twilight Elf with boobs the size of materia clusters."_

_That comment got her laughing._

"_You don't really look the gaming type at all," she said, now eyeing me with interest._

_I let out a short laugh, "Then I guess we're in good company. I'm Cloud Strife."_

"_Jessie Casertcia," she said with a grin that had just a hint of unintentional allure to it._

"_So…what do you game?" I went on, trying to keep things going. She was the first person here who seemed more interesting than the grass back home, and I wasn't about to lose an opportunity._

_She stretched a moment, her green t-shirt lifting slightly to reveal a trim figure that even her baggy jeans didn't hide well_ (I will say one thing, the girls here sure are… different than the ones back home). _"Mmm… " She started, scratching the red bandanna in her bark-brown hair, "mostly whatever. I play lots of different things. Gimme one and I'll let you know."_

_I paused a moment. "How about MateriaShock?"_

"_AH!" she screeched with excitement. "I thought I was the only person ALIVE who had played that! Did you get the Platinum Award for it too?!"_

It was the next day we started hanging out and going places together. Jessie's a nice girl, and cute too, but only about a week ago that she revealed to me that she thought she might like this guy in her Wednesday noon class. Ah well. There are others, right?

As I snapped back to reality and finished reminiscing, I found myself outside "Quina's Café" with still an empty stomach and no idea what the _hell_ I was going to get. Going inside didn't help this either. I stood and stared dumbfounded with an expression of utter confusion at the menu hanging about the large woman behind the counter who was serving people their morning drinks and food. I mean, this expression was _stupid: _eyes narrowed, mouth wide open, the whole thing. If I were in an anime, there probably would have been sweat drops falling from my head.

_I had no idea you deep-fry so many things…what the hell is boysenberry?! Why would you want four different cheeses on your bagel? Don't these places have anything normal?!_ All these questions and more flooded my mind as I drew closer and closer to my doom at the counter. Oh well, at least they had Jessie's coffee. But seriously, how many ways are there to cook a piece of bread with filling in the middle? I mean—

"What can I get you hun?"

"Wait a damn waffle…erm, minuet. Sorry," I said, doing my best to wipe the involuntary scowl from my face.

"Well now. Someone's not having a good morning. What do you want Spikey? I've got people to serve."

Spikey? Where does she get off on calling me _that?!_

"Can I have your Moogle Blend of coffee with lost of sugar and cream…and…" I trailed off awkwardly. _Oh yeah: This day was great._

"What? What else?" she pestered, beginning the warm liquid.

"Okay, look: do you have anything…waffle related? Or resembling a waffle? Or waffle like, even?"

Gods damnit, I'm obsessed.

By now the people behind me were getting impatient, I could feel the pre-caffeine loathing jabbing me in the back like a blade. "Look hon, I'll make this real easy for you, because you seem a little… angry and confused. Take this flatcake; it's like a crunchy pancake, waffle, thing. In fact, here, have two. Free of charge. That'll be 50 gil for the coffee, though."

As I walked out with my box of flatcakes and Jessie's coffee I could hear people in line grumbling about me. All things from "the rest of us have things to do too, you know" all the way to "get a freakin' hair cut". And to make things more ironic and dramatic, the music track shuffled to some song with an ominous chorus chanting what sounded like a death march. Great, even my music hates me today.

Noting filled my head from the time it took me to get back to my set of dorms. I leaned against the counter, eyeing my strange _not waffle_ food suspiciously as Jessie slurped her coffee happily. "Would you fucking _eat them already?_" she said to me with more intensity than a fully leveled fire spell.

"I don't know if I can."

"Cloud, If there is one thing I've learned about you, it's that you are so godsdammned stubborn sometimes that I want to run you through."

I almost said, "That's what she said" to the last part. _Almost. _Jessie however probably saw it in my face and hit me as she said, "No, that is NOT what she said. Eat. You've got one hour 'til class."

"Jessie I really don't think-"

"Cloud-"

"No, seriously. Do you know how long-"

"I swear to the gods above-!"

"I mean this is _years_ of tradition we're breaking-"

"EAT."

"But-"

"CLOUD!"

"Mmpfh!!"

I struggled and almost chocked, as I tasted both fingers and something disgusting. In one fowl motion (that I suspect was fueled by materia) Jessie had sprang from her chair behind the desk, picked up a flatcake, and stuffed the thing in my open mouth mid-sentence. She removed her hand from my mouth and I began to do my best to chew, swallow, and ingest the awful excuse for food. It tasted like burnt toast, but then even burnt toast wasn't this bland. "Jessie! That was fucking disgusting!"

She threw her hands up and shouted, "Oh my gods! You're so thick Cloud! You're really thick sometimes! Why don't you try new things?! Are you ashamed of who you are?"

"See, now you're just not making sense," I mused to her.

She straightened her bandanna and waved a hand at me, "Get outta here," I've got one hour left and I don't wanna be mad at you later." This comment was, of course, delivered with a wry smile.

"Do what you want," was all I could think of saying to her as I pushed off the counter, "see you at lunch Jess."

Half an Hour later…

I was making my way towards physical training class when I saw her again. Tifa was walking a ways a head of me in one of the college's near-empty at this of day's squares. She had her head bent over a phone and was texting on it at a leisurely pace, and for a moment I considered catching up to her and trying to make amends for earlier that morning. But mid-contemplation she veered a hard left, hair flapping wildly as she did, and disappeared into a building for materia-related classes. _Damnit._ Well, she said fourth floor, right? I guess I could stop by later if I felt so inclined. The whole rest of the walk was spent trying to get images of those swaying hips from my head. But maybe it wasn't her hips so much as it was her… I mean some people are just drawn together, right? It wasn't even in any sort of desire of the uh… _flesh_ that made me want to talk to her; it was more of some strange feeling that felt awakened that I couldn't place. It didn't feel like love or even attraction, just…

Destiny?


	3. Chapter III

Silence.

That's all I heard, was the silence of not having my headphone playing and it irritated me to no end. Now I had to listen to the girls chatter and the guys hit on them around me. Did that sound a little cynical? It was, I don't think too much of many of the people in my physical training class. My only saving grace here is a guy named Rude. He's built like a statue, tall and broad shouldered, with a bald head and usually not a word for anyone but me. And even then, the words he has for me are sparse. Our meeting wasn't nearly as exciting or eventful as Jessie and mine's, it was more along the lines of:

"_Alright everyone! Pair up we're practicing acrobatics today!" The professor yelled._

_I glanced around quickly, not wanting to be that last guy who the instructor had to pair with someone else, when suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder from behind. I stiffened at the touch, because the grip felt like it would crush my clavicle if too much more force was applied. Nonetheless, I did my best to turn without looking as startled as I was._

_And there was Rude. Staring me in the face with a hard expression, even through his sunglasses. "You look like you won't piss me off. Want to team up?" He asked in a bear-like voice._

_I nodded once, twice, three times, "Y-yeah sure."_

And that's about it. Hell, I can't even say I know too much about him except that he collects sunglasses, seeing as he's got a different pair on almost everyday. This probably sounds awful, but the best thing about being "friends" with Rude, is that people don't even think about screwing with you. Not that I couldn't hold my own, but it gives me an extra sense of security, knowing that he could probably crush someone's arm by sneezing on it. Ah, the little things in life…

"C'mon people! You know the drill, warm up while I get things set up! We're doing running today, so I hope you all had a good breakfast!"

I did my best not to recall the awful waffle-less morning, though I was still hungry. I made my way next to Rude, gave him a nod and said, "Morning."

He followed with his ritual nod of response and rumbled, "What's going on?"

"Not much. Had a shitty morning though."

We were stretching now, warming up arms and legs and everything. "Mmm. What, did princess not get his morning coffee?"

Part of me wanted to stop right there and stare for a moment. Humor! Rude was being humorous! Maybe this day wouldn't be so bad after all… "Waffles…actually," I retorted.

He snorted in response then said, "Well, excuse me."

And I couldn't help it, I laughed too. _This day is just full of surprises._ The massive gymnasium swallowed up my quiet laugh, and I took a cursory glance around to see if anyone had heard it. No one did, not even all the equipment that lined the walls and was around the floor. Things of all shapes and sizes, designed to train all kinds of qualities of a person's physical character: weights for strength, balances and bars for dexterity, and obstacles for speed. "Well, I hope the rest of the day goes better for you," Rude commented as we finished and straightened up. "Yeah, here's to hoping," I responded.

The running was monotonous, but at least we were allowed to listen to music. Roaring drums and screaming guitars pushed me through each mile that we had to run around the same circular track time after time, it all made me feel like I was running Over the Hills and Far Away. And after five miles of running, the professor stopped us and said, "Alright, you've all had enough. Today's class was meant to be light after yesterday's workout. Get changed and get the hell out, enjoy the rest of your day."

Various levels of cheers and a generally good mood erupted from us as a group, and we moved towards the locker rooms to get back into street clothes and out of our now foul smelling workout clothes. Not more than five minuets later Rude and I were back outside next to the fountain that sat in the physical area's square. The fountain had two dishes, one smaller than the other in an ascending order; and on top of the smallest dish were carving of various weapons sticking out at various angles, each spouting a jet of water back into the basin of the fountain. Each square had one of these statues, and each one was different depending on which area you were in. Also in this square were various weapon and physical buildings, scattered around in a very aesthetically pleasing way that paths from the main square led to. The only building actually connected to the square directly was the locker rooms, which were actually a massive, multilayered building with various floors for showering, changing, and storing things from clothes to personal weapons. Though that floor had a special lock that only people with a special key could get into. As Rude and I waited, one of the guys came out wearing jeans that were considerably too skinny and a black baggy sleeveless shirt with a hood. He rapped on his "browski's" shoulder and said, "Hey, check this."

Black shirt cracked the door to the girl's side of the building open and called, "Ladies! C'mon out! We're ready for you!"

He pulled his head back out and laughed with his bro. I turned to face Rude, whose expression was almost identical to mine: left eyebrow cocked in an apprehensive way that said, "What a fucking _breaker."_ One of them must have noticed our expressions, as they approached us and said, "What? WHAT?! What's goin' on man?" with their hands held out in high-five. Whether or not this was sincere wasn't the issue here, people like this irritate me to no end. Which, I have learned, can be a draw back of my personality because some times they aren't that bad of guys. But I had a feeling this wasn't the case here. Rude, however, seemed to have a different idea in mind. He thrust out his hand to shake, and when the poor black shirted bastard obliged, Rude gripped his hand so hard I could see the guy's eyes water. "The pleasure is mine," Rude thundered.

The bros retreated a distance, scared and confused over Rude's introduction as they said, "What ever man. What the fuck ever."

Rude sniggered a little at his own antics and I couldn't help but laugh too. "People piss me off," he told me.

Still laughing I asked, "You mean people like that?"

"No. People in general."

I stopped laughing. Man… Killjoy.

Suddenly the girl's side of the building door burst open and they all began to throng out as a massive flock like girls do. Some giving us dirty looks, and others making comments like about how rude (ha! Irony!) we are. For a moment I didn't know what they meant, then it hit me.

"Do you think they think we…"

"Yep."

"Damnit. Well…"

"This is awkward," Rude mused.

All I could do was nod in agreement. Glancing at the phone in my pocket, I realized it was about time to meet Jesse for lunch, or it would be by the time I made my way over there. "Hey, Rude," I started, "Do you want to have lunch with my friend Jessie and me today?" I asked.

He pulled a professional-looking work phone from his pocket and began to scroll and push buttons on it. "Let me see if I'm free…"

Free? What the hell else does a college kid have to do at 11:30 on a Thursday? I swear, Rude you are one helluva an enigma.

"Yeah. Let's go. I assume you mean now?"

I nodded and instructed him to follow me. "Hope you don't mind chocoritos," I commented.

"Not at all."

Fifteen minuets later and we were standing awkwardly in line behind Jessie at Cactuar's, waiting for food. I say awkwardly because even though I had introduce Rude and Jessie, and they seemed to be fine with each other's company, no one was saying anything. "So… what're we getting?" I asked.

Jessie shrugged and told me she'd be getting the usual, while Rude made a grumbling noise in his throat. Okay, this was going to be _fun._ My day, however, once again surprised me when we sat down and Rude began to ask Jessie all sorts of questions. Mostly the usual like, "What's your major?", "Where are you from?" and the like. Normally this wouldn't concern me or make me think twice, but again the fact that it's _Rude_ made me wonder what he was up to.

"So, Cloud, can you take a look at my bike later?" Jessie suddenly inquired, breaking my lack of focus.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, of course. What's the problem with it?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you. It just won't pedal right… sometimes the chain doesn't catch."

"Oh, hell then that sounds like a really easy fix," I commented.

Rude moved to his feet suddenly and placed a napkin with a number scrawled on it on the counter, "Sorry, but I have matters to attend to. Give me a call or text next time you want to hang out."

Though he was aiming this thought at both of us, he looked right at Jessie as he said it and for a moment I sweat I could see some blush run into her cheeks, but the color was as fleeting as Rude's presence as he curtly nodded and left. Jessie and I were just half-way through with our food, so we continued to sit and chat. "He was nice. A little quiet, but nice," she commented.

"Yeah, that's Rude for you," I agreed, "So what do you do to get the Silver Materia again?"

* * *

Jessie and I had one more class for the day, so after lunch she departed to gymnastics and I made my way to the other side of campus for basic animal studies. Part way through the trip, my phone buzzed in my pocket, and I leisurely moved to check the message. _Oh, it's a call. But I don't recognize the number…_

"Hello…?" I asked apprehensively.

"Mr. Strife? This is Lazard, head of student housing services for your area. How are you today?"

"Fine _(if not waffle-less)_, is something wrong?" I didn't know whether or not to call him sir.

"No, not at all, I was calling to inform you that we have found you a roommate and he is currently in the dorm, so I recommend you head over and meet him as soon as you can and introduce him to life here in Midgar. He's ah… bit of a special case."

"Alright, I will."

We said our goodbyes and I replaced my phone to it's home in my pocket. I began to ponder the day for the umpteenth time as I made my way back to my dorm, deciding to skip class and see what was so special about this guy. Besides, I'm acing basic animal studies. I can afford to skip once. _But what is going on with the world today? It's just been a clusterfuck of strange events. And besides that, I didn't really want a roommate. Now it'll be awkward to have Jessie over, and this means we have to set up rules and he might annoy me, and…_

The whole walk back to my dorm was spent considering all the strange and awful things that could happen as a result of having a new person living in my room. Though the rooms were designed for two people to live comfortably, I liked my solitary space. From front door, to elevator, to dorm door I had an eternal scowl. The more I considered this, the more it frustrated me. But when I reached my door and went to unlock it, I took a deep and calming breath before I tried my best to put on a casual hello face. Knowing my luck this bastard and I won't get along at all, but why not try to start things well, huh?

The door swung open silently, and standing there was…

No one?

And nothing. My room was as dark as I had left it, blinds still shut and clothes still on the floor. _Has this guy gone out to get his stuff? But I didn't see any bags or cars being unpacked out front… maybe he got bored and went for a walk?_ I moved farther into _my_ room and closed the door. I had one of those feelings… you know, where you can't tell if someone has been in your room and is still there or not. Suddenly I noticed a lump curled up on my bed. _Oh what the hell?_ But moving closer revealed that the lump was breathing, and appeared to be… furry? It was a dog. The guy brought his dog and had told it to sleep on my bed. What a bastard. _Weird… I thought these dorms weren't made to accommodate animals_… I resigned to the edge of my bed, where I reached out and began to scratch the dog behind it's rather warm ears. It twitched slightly and began to curve it's neck to face me while keeping its eyes closed. And suddenly…

"Would you scratch a little to the left, please?"


	4. Chapter IV

I stared dumbfounded and shocked. What the hell do you say to a talking dog?! Though my mind was racing, the most I could manage to say was a stream of nonsense and stupidity. The dog cocked his… _Or should I say, "It's" head? I mean it sounded like a guy, but you never know…_ Anyway, the dog cocked his head to the side and said, "What? Are you alright?"

Again, stupid floweth from my mouth and landed on the floor. I could practically feel it pooling about my feet and sucking me down. Not only did I feel dumb now, but I felt a little rude too. I mean, I didn't feel _like_ Rude, but I felt… I mean…

Gods damnit.

"I'm just not used to a talking…dog?" I trailed off at the end apprehensively, trying to sound polite about not knowing what he was.

The creature barked a laugh loudly that had hints of howl in it, then jumped from the bed too the floor. Looking now, he was way too big to be a dog. In fact, the guy looked more like a large wolf. He sat back on his haunches, and shook his head slightly. When he did, the various feathers and beads in his mane and around his neck clinked and clacked quietly. If I had to guess, I would even say it looked like he was wearing some kind of headdress. "Maybe I should start from the beginning," he said.

"My name is Nanaki. I come from a place called Cosmo Canyon…"

It was an hour and a half later that we settled things. We bonded a little, and I told him that I had always wanted to go to Cosmo Canyon, how I thought that it had always sounded so beautiful and just… like a good place to go. His responses to my confessions only made me yearn to go more, and even made me a little jealous at the way he described things. "There are all these caves laced in the cliffs," he told me, "and they are fascinating to explore. Some have waterfalls, some have hot springs, some are vast and deep while others are cramped passages… and there's always something new to find in them. And the nights, oh my friend, you should see the night sky! They don't call it the Valley of the Fallen Star for nothing!"

And the more I listened, the more I wanted to go. Just… up and leave Midgar right now, head out, and explore. Everything. I wanted to see the world, and…

_Ah… but you're getting ahead of yourself. College first._

"So, there isn't an extra bed in here," I said, gesturing to the empty space on the opposite wall my TV and dresser took up. "What are you going to do about sleeping?"

"Well, Grandpa always let me sleep on the foot of his bed. But he _did_ warn me that some people might not take kindly to that, so if you don't want me to-"

"No, it's fine," I cut him off. "Don't worry, my family had this dog once and…"

I suddenly caught myself.

"I-I mean if you want to sleep down by my feet it's fine. Don't worry, I don't move much when I sleep."

He nodded to me, obviously still deciphering whether or not to be offended at me accidentally calling him a dog again. Though he didn't say it directly, he had made it very obvious that he did not much appreciate being called one, because he obviously was much smarter than one. To be honest, I felt like there was a lot about this Nanaki that I didn't know yet, and I felt like messing up things like that only made it worse. Now that I had talked to him (and to be honest, found out he wouldn't be taking any of my space) I didn't mind him so much. But as he pawed about the room and sniffed things, I couldn't decide what to say to him first. _Do I warn him about how people might react to him? Do I offer to take him down to get a waffle-NO! It's dinner time! Offer dinner! Or do I just let him figure things out for himself?_ All these thoughts and more swam about my head, so I plopped onto my bed and sat a moment, trying to get a grip. I shut my eyes and—

"Something wrong?" Nanaki inquired, suddenly in front of me.

I shook my head, then stopped and shrugged. "I just think I should warn you. People are going to react funny to you, so… be careful. If you need anything at all, let me know and I can take care of it for you."

He bowed his head slightly in thanks, then went on with a small smile, "I'm well aware of this, you don't need to warn me. However, I am getting hungry and would _love_ to find a place to eat, if you don't mind."

I smirked a little, then stood up and moved to the door with him, "Yeah, I know a place not too far away. King Tonberry it's called, they've got great burgers-ah… would that be a problem for you?"

He flicked his tail at me as he said, "Please Cloud, just because I lack thumbs doesn't mean I am incompetent.

All I did was laugh again in response.

_And a month passed…._

Time seems to float by here in Midgar. Or maybe it's just University life that makes things feel so leisurely. Or maybe it's just that I don't know where I'm going that makes me feel like this. Either way, a month has already gone by and I don't know where the time has gone. I introduced Jessie to Nanaki, and she told me I was a dumbass for skipping class that day because we had apparently learned about his race. But they were becoming fast friends, similar to the way she and I had. Maybe it's a gift Jessie has: making friends with people so easily. While she and I discuss games, college life, and the people around us (I saw a guy with a monkey tail the other day…); she talks about the world and traveling with Nanaki.

"So how's the forests around Cosmo Canyon? Are they full of monsters or what?" Jessie asked him, as the three of us sat behind the student services desk. Jessie and I were on duty, and Nanaki had nowhere else to go so he sat perched in a third chair, at eye level with us.

"Oh, they're not so bad. I mean, they can be dangerous for those who aren't careful, but so can this city right? That's all this city is to me, really. Just one giant metal forest. I wouldn't be surprised if someday… five hundred years from now it returns to the planet."

This final thought was punctuated with an assuring nod, and I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows at Nanaki. He had a way of saying things cryptically without sounding like a cheap prophet. Suddenly he closed his eyes and rested his head on the counter, while his nose twitched around as he sniffed the air. I turned my gaze to Jessie, and she just shrugged at me. Neither of us knew whether or not to ask further, but because it didn't seem important we dropped it.

And silence ensued for the next twenty minuets. Little more than me asking Jessie what she wanted from the vending machiene.

Several things suddenly happened at once. Nanaki's nose twitched and his head picked up, I almost chocked on my soda, Jessie smiled and waved, and…

Tifa walked in. Fitted jeans, and a maroon shirt with one long sleeve and one short sleeve. Her auburn hair was flowing down her back as always, and I felt myself streighten in my chair.

"Hey Jessie, you going to the game today?" she asked.

"Yeah, I am! I've uh… actually got a date!"

"OHH! Jessie!" Suddenly that same scent from a month ago that smelled like fruit was in my face, making my head swim in the best kind of way. She and Jessie were now doing that girl thing where they… uh… talk fast and stand an inch apart from each others faces. There was a very tiny part way deep in the back of my head that kept saying the words: _Please_ and _Kiss_, and the rest of my brain was trying to supress it. To be honest, it was the most girly I had ever seen Jessie behave. I felt a small sense of pride for her, and hoped that---

Wait, Jessie had a date?

"You didn't say a thing about having a date to me!" I suddenly protested to her, hitting my palm on the desk to emphasize my surprise.

Jessie's face suddenly went very red and she looked down. She stuttered something to me, and Tifa let out a little giggle. "I'm sorry Jess, I didn't mean to ruin the surprise for anyone. I thought you would've said something to Cloud here by now!"

"W-well I was going to but it kept slipping my mind-"

"Slipping your mind?!" I asked, "When were you going to tell me? Within the next thirty minuets?"

"I don't know! Maybe! Besides, I thought you might be happy for me, not get mad! You aren't jealous, are you?"

A little laugh escaped Tifa's mouth, and she began to leave. But before she could get too far from the desk Jessie stopped her and said, "Tifa! I thought we were going to go together!"

"Yeah, we are. I'll be right back down, just need to change into something a little more spirited. Besides, I think you need to uh… talk this one out with your friend there." She punctuated this last thought by pointing to me and giggling again.

It's a dangerous thing, that giggle. It sounds like she's laughing at you, but you can't really tell. It sounds teasing and playful. But at the same time… at the same time, I'm getting ahead of myself again. "So who is it, Jessie?" Nanaki asked after a short silence.

"Wha? Oh, Nanaki. I don't think you know him."

"No, but I am curious now, this seems to be a big deal and I would like the opportunity to learn more of… whatever it is!"

Now broken from my stupor, I turned my attention to Nanaki who was licking his chops and bobbing his head like a… well, like a dog. You know, for not being one he sure behaves like one. But the bigger issue here was Jessie; and really it wasn't even an issue. I looked at her, and she began to swivel her chair away from me, flip through some papers, and in general do anything to avoid my attention. I put my hand on her shoulder and she finally (although it was reluctantly) came to face me. "Jessie, I'm not mad, why the hell would I be? I'm thrilled for you! I guess I just don't get why you wouldn't tell me why you've got a date. That's great!"

She smiled a little, then took a deep breath, "I'm going with a guy named Reno. He's one of Rude's friends."

I could see she didn't want to tell me the real reason why. That was typical Jessie. Didn't want to tell what she was thinking, liked things better unsaid, but still understood. If I had to guess I'd say she didn't say anything because she didn't want things to change between us, and even though she knew they wouldn't she didn't want to risk it. One of those girl mentality things, I think. To be honest I don't understand them very well, and I'm okay with that. I felt myself smile at her, and give her shoulder a little squeeze; "Good, I'm glad. Don't worry, I'll stay out of your way."

"What do you mean?" She asked, flushing again.

I laughed a small burst of joy, raised my hands in innosince, and said, "It means whatever it needs to mean."

"Cloud! You're terrible! What kind of a girl do you think I am?"

"The kind who doesn't kiss and tell, if I had to guess."

She made a hard punch to my chest, then got up and slid over the counter. Tifa had returned, now dressed in school colors, wearing a hoodie that said "Midgar Zoloms" on it and jeans. "Okay, you two done? Good. Let's get going Jess, we need to meet the boys a little early to get some food."

They were almost out the door before Tifa turned back to me with a wave and said, "Hope to see you at the game, Cloud!"

"Yeah, hopefully," was all the response I could muster.

Once we was actually gone, I rested my head on the high counter and let my mind wander. Did I want to go? Hadn't really planned on it, but it might be fun. First game of the season, but who would look after Nanaki? Oh hell, _he's not a dog! What am I saying?_

As if he had read my thoughts, Nanaki leapt from the chair and over the counter in one powerful jump and said, "You should go to the game. I want to explore a little and have no intention of being back soon. Besides, I think you need to get out a little."

"Hey now, why do you say that?" I asked quizzically.

"Maybe I should rephrase that…" he began as he trotted for the outside door, "go see if you can find Tifa."

But before I could respond again, he was gone.

Was I really that obvious? Or was that just Nanaki's… super senses?

I think I've got a game to go to.


	5. Chapter V

Standing in the cold, outside the ticket gates by myself, listening to the chatter of everyone around me was not my idea of fun. I think people usually come to these games with other people, so despite the fact that I was wearing a University hoodie with University colors, I probably looked a little pathetic standing alone with my headphones strapped on. I was a good bit taller than most of the students around me, and my massive spines of hair only made me stick out more. If someone I knew was here, I dearly hoped they would see me and invite me to sit with them; after all: it's not like I'm that hard to miss. To be honest, I was a little conflicted if I wanted to be seen or not. Of course I wanted to sit with friends and have a good time in an almost generic college fun-time setting… but on the other hand how sad does it look to be here alone? Maybe I'm thinking too far into this. And before I knew it, I was at the front of the line staring the ticket lady in the face. "Uh, just one please," I said, trying to make it sound like I had done this before, or at least like I had just missed my friends and they were waiting inside.

Maybe Nanaki was right. Maybe I do need to get out more.

Without a word, the woman slid me a ticket and I slid a few Gil under the slot for her. Exact change, so I made my way into the stadium. Though I did want to get to my seat and have a look around, the only thing on my mind at the moment was food. Thankfully, the stadium's oblong shape was made so there were food vendors at almost every available space, and on every level. I got in line for a Funnel Cake, and began to contemplate myself again. _I really can't escape this waffle thing. All a funnel cake is, is a deep-fried waffle with powdered sugar. Maybe I should get a hotdog or pretzel as well to counter this…_ And suddenly I felt a tap on my arm. I turned, and found myself staring into the blank and sunglass wearing face of none other than Rude. "Oh, hey Rude. What, uh, what are you doing here?"

"Watching the game," he said simply.

I nodded slowly, "R-right. I probably should have figured that. So um… where are you sitting?"

"Some of my colleagues and I have box seats. You should come join us. Most of them piss me off."

I chuckled lightly, but quickly stopped as Rude raised an eyebrow at me. I couldn't help but feel a little bit of a chill run through me when he continued to glare. "Why didn't you text me you would be here?" he rumbled as I stepped out of line and followed him up the massive metal stairs that led all the way to the top of the stadium.

"I didn't think I would be coming, but kind of had a change of heart at the last minuet."

All he did was nod, and we walked in silence as the crowd of the game made enough noise for the both of us. We passed all sorts of booths and vendors, each one selling something slightly different than the last. From jerseys and hats to pizza and fries, they all called to passer-bys to come and try their goods. And as we kept walking, I began to think about just who the hell else Rude could be here with. He never talked about other friends, or mention being in a club, or anything of the sort. Not that I would really expect him to, but I assumed that if Rude had other friends I might have seen him hanging out with them. Who were these colleagues Rude was referring to? Was part of some sort of special group?

"So who are these colleagues you're here with?" I asked as coolly as I could.

Without missing a beat, and in a way that I would almost call excited, Rude responded, "We're a prestigious group of people with interests in all areas. Business, travel, sports, anything that we think we can… benefit. And we always do benefit, either physically or financially."

I looked at Rude, almost missing a step up the stairs and falling as I said, "Wait… are you part of Cell? That division that feeds into the Turks?"

Rude only nodded to me, not even bothering to say what he knew I was probably thinking. There were rumors that the Turks may have been involved in some shady dealings: things involving ShinRa, politics, and the like. Though both Cell and the Turks had a very pretty public face, some people wondered how deep their altruism went. But now we were all the way up the stairs, and I figured it would be impolite to ask more, especially with two guards at the door to the elevator. They were dressed in deep maroon suits, with black ties and sunglasses; standing perfectly at attention with their hands folded in front of them. They also had stylized hair, cut into a fashion that was popular here in the city. Perfect clones of each other, and a little eerie to witness. As we approached down the hall at them, they both nodded to Rude and said a word of hello.

"This is Cloud, he's with me. Let him come and go as he pleases from the box today," Rude thundered at them as we stepped into the elevator.

They only nodded and said, "Sir."

I felt the lurch of cables, and the elevator begin to rise. "Here's the deal," Rude began, "You can eat and drink as much as you want up here, it's all provided for us and our guests. So you can have what you want. But as a word of advice, don't talk to Tseng. If he doesn't like guests he always finds a way to get them thrown out. And he usually doesn't like anyone up with us but those who are well dressed and well-to-do, and you look like neither right now."

Despite the part of his warning that may have been an insult, I shook my head in understanding. I didn't mind how I was dressed; I was just trying to be spirited today. Besides, Rude and I had an unspoken understanding that he was just being frank and realistic with me. I looked like

"O-okay… but which one's Tseng?"

And in that moment, the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. Standing right in front of us was a man in a navy blue suit and another black tie. His long black hair was congealed at the bottom and pulled back from his forehead. And to top things off, a strange symbol pinned to his lapel, a symbol I recognized as the Cell logo. He took one final sip of bubbly-clear liquid from his glass, then placed it on the try of a near by waiter and turned his attention to us. "Ah, Rude you're back. And you brought a… friend?" he stuck his hand out to Rude and didn't so much as glance at me. Instantly my brow furrowed and I narrowed my Electric-Blue eyes at the back of his pretentious head.

"Yeah. Tseng, this is Cloud. He's thinking about joining Cell."

_What?! No I'm not! One of the last things in the world I want to do is join Cell!_

But I realized something, or rather, I remembered something. Rude said Tseng didn't like guests, and I had a feeling Rude wanted to keep me up here so maybe that would help get me some extra points with the guy.

"Yes, I'm sure he does. But so do most other people," he turned to me, "people who look much more qualified."

I thought quickly, and did my best not to stutter, "Well, I would have dressed up more, but to be honest I didn't know what to expect. So I thought I'd play it safe and show some school spirit."

Tseng looked at me, his eyes adjusting and squinting in a way that made me think he didn't know what to say for a moment, until finally, "Yes well. These things are to be expected," he sighed and walked off, headed to mingle with a woman in a Scarlet dress who was laughing in a borderline maniacal way.

And so Rude and I did what we always do. We stood in silence. But only for a moment, because as he moved further into the room and got a drink off a tray, I asked, "Did I make a good impression? His response was kind of cryptic."

"You did fine. Tseng's version of not knowing what to say is to be mysterious. It's his most powerful and most frustrating trait."

"Right, thanks for the vote of confidence," I replied, scanning the massive room to see if there was anyone else here I was at least acquaintances with. "Well, I've got to go speak to some people to make sure your ass doesn't get thrown out later. Have a bite to eat and don't make yourself look like your hair."

"What…?" I asked, utterly confused at his last statement.

"A chocobo's _ass_."


End file.
